I Always Hated the Smell of Chlorine
by TimshelBliss
Summary: Sam and Dean are just finishing a case involving a kelpie in a swimming pool, but it's not over yet when Dean discovers the simple choices can end up with the most life-threatening consequences. Hurt!Sam Protective!Dean. One shot story, and my first SPN fic. Rated T for violence (not much) mild swearing.


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with Supernatural or its characters.**

**Takes place any early season (before season 5 I guess). **

**Sam and Dean are just finishing up a job at a swimming pool involving a kelpie.**

**One shot, this is my first Supernatural fanfic, enjoy!**

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"Why was that kelpie here anyways?" Sam asked as he pulled himself from the community centre pool. It was long past closing, and the only light came from the street lamps on the nearby road. "I mean, Celtic folklore, right? It has Scottish origins- why was it here?"

"Come one Sammy- we killed it! It doesn't matter now, it's dead," Dean replied as he shone his flashlight over the pool; he was certain it was dead, but there was no harm in double-checking, "let's just get back to the motel and call it a day. Who wants pie? I want pie."

"It just doesn't make sense, Dean," Sam said, now standing by the pool dripping wet.

"Nothing ever makes sense Sammy, that's our job," answered the older brother. The job was over, why couldn't they just go home? "I'd pick pie over sense any day. Let's go."

"No. Dean, think about it," Sam insisted, "every time the kelpie drowned a kid, it was early. Too early. The pool wasn't even open yet. The kids weren't just extra excited to go swimming at four in the morning; there wasn't just the kelpie luring its victims into the water, there had to have been something luring the victims to the pool itself."

"What are you trying to say Sam, that there's an accomplice? A _human_ accomplice?" Dean was hungry and tired, which meant he was pissed. Was his brother doing this on purpose? He couldn't _actually_ think an actual _person_ was bringing children to feed the kelpie. "Sam that doesn't make any sense-"

"You just said it's not supposed to make sense!" Sam shouted back, "think about it Dean; kelpies are manipulative, it wouldn't be hard for them to get a person to help them. It could have promised a lot of things, money, luck, power, anything. My bet is that it took on the form of a beautiful woman, like it did for you, and convinced him that she loved him. There's no way those kids just snuck out of their houses at four in the morning to go for a swim. No way."

Dean thought about it. Dammit. His brother was smart- and probably right, too. Still, Dean was tired, "Okay, I get it. You're right. But the kelpie's dead, right?" Sam nodded, and Dean continued, "which means that this person- whoever that son of a bitch is- won't be leading people here any time soon. Let's go back to the motel. We can keep investigating tomorrow." Dean shot his brother a wide-eyed look, waiting for a response.

Sam sighed, "Alright. Just… let me do a once-over on the place-" Sam hesitated, "did you hear that?"

Dean of course, had. It sounded like a door slamming from somewhere inside the building, "I'll go check it out. Shit," Dean patted his pockets, "where's my gun?"

Sam frowned, "You must've dropped it in the pool, take mine."

Sam handed over his gun.

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_Well there was nothing there,_ thought Dean as he made his way back to the pool deck, _Guess I didn't really need the gun after all._

"Nothin' there Sammy, we must've been hearing things," Dean called out, but there was no reply. He quickened his pace to get to the deck faster, "Sam?"

Rounding the corner the first thing he noticed was a streak of red across the once clean tiled floor of the deck.

"Sammy!" His brother, his little baby brother was on the floor, slumped against the wall, with a gag nearly choking him around the mouth. His eyes were wide and desperately looking to his older brother, and he kept trying to say something, but the only sounds that made it through the cloth around his face were moans and groans.

"Sam-" Dean ran to his brother and tore the gag off of Sam, who was trying to say something about a man and a chain and a weight or something or another that Dean couldn't quite make out, until of course, Dean took the time to take in the whole picture of what was happening. Sam's right foot was attached to a long chain, and as Dean followed the chain to the edge of the pool he noticed one more thing; there was another person on the deck.

"What do you think you're doing?" Dean called cautiously to the man by the edge of the pool. He looked up to reveal streaks of tears running from red eyes down his rugged face; he was a pretty heavy built guy, so it didn't surprise Dean that he had been able to overpower Sam. The blood, Dean realized, was coming from a head wound on the side of Sam's head.

_But then why didn't Sam just use his- _and then Dean remembered. _Crap. Dean, how could you have been so STUPID? You took Sam's gun you IDIOT._

"Answer me!" Dean shouted at him, and started walking until he was halfway between Sam and the man- too far to reach either at a moment's notice.

The man was holding part of the chain, whose end was tied to a large barbell. The heavy weight just barely balanced on the edge of the pool, one nudge having the ability to knock it down into the deepest darkness of the water.

"You killed her," the man spoke in a muted voice.

"That wasn't a 'her' that was an 'it'," Dean glanced over at Sam; the chain around his ankle had a lock on in, but the one around the dumbbell was simply tied, "Come on believe me she was a monster, you don't know-"

"Don't tell me what I know!" The man screamed at him, "I loved her and she loved me so just shut up! SHUT UP!" He was crying, he was in hysterics; there was no use trying to reason with him. "This is 300 pounds, this," the man gestured towards the weight, "enough to sink a man, right?"

Dean's heart was in his throat and his mind was screaming at him; _help Sammy do something come on come on do something save him what are you doing Dean?_

"Come on man you don't want to do this," Dean tried again to calm the man down. Maybe if he could just get him away from the god dammed barbell he could take him, "I'm sorry I really am- we both are- just step away from that, okay? Just-"

"No."

Dean's breath caught in his throat, he looked at Sam and tried to put on a brave face for his little brother, but not even Dean's practice in masking his emotions could hide the worry on his face.

"Dean," Sam whispered, "Dean."

"No," the man repeated again, "no I want you to feel what I feel. This is fair. This is right. She would have wanted this." The man placed his foot on the barbell, Sam yelled, Dean reached for the gun, "I'm sorry" cried the man as he pushed the weight over the side.

WMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

There was a very wonderful second, after the barbell was pushed and before it fell too deep, when Sam believed that maybe, just maybe, it didn't work, that he wasn't about to be pulled to the depths of the pool. But after that one wonderful second was over, there was a harsh tug on his ankle that dragged Sam with great speed across the tiled floor.

Sam yelled for help, but Dean wasn't close enough to grab his brother, and Sam flew just too fast for anyone to catch up. Just before he went over the edge he managed to get a hold of the metal ladder that hung over the side of the swimming pool; the weight tugged on his leg with a painful jerk.

He heard a gunshot and looked up to see the man drop to the ground, dead, hopefully. But Sam had no time to appreciate his brother's great shot as he had 300 pounds pulling on his leg- which was no doubt dislocated by now- and causing him intense pain. Half his body was underwater and he desperately tried to hold on to the metal ladder, but the human body can only take so much, and Sam's hands slipped from the railing for the first time.

In half a second he was dragged lower into the water before he managed to get a whole arm around a rung of the ladder; Sam's head was barely breaking the surface of the water, "Dean!" He yelled, "Dean I can't!"

"Sammy!" He heard his brother yell. Sam couldn't see over the edge of the pool, but simply hearing his brother's voice gave him hope. "Sammy, hold on!"

Sam tried so hard to hold on but he couldn't, he just couldn't. He took in a sharp breath before his hands slipped again, grabbing onto the very bottom rung of the ladder; his head was fully submerged but he was still within reach of the edge of the pool.

Suddenly Dean's face appeared over the side of the pool, and even from underwater Sam could see him smile when he saw that his little brother hadn't let go, not yet at least.

"Sammy! Hang on!" Dean's voice was desperate, pleading with his little brother. His arms reached into the water for Sam's hands, but not fast enough; Sam's hands slipped and was pulled further under the surface, and he was running out of oxygen.

"SAM!"

Dean's face disappeared from over the edge as Sam sank lower and lower into the darkness of the pool. There was no use trying to swim against the weight, so Sam swam towards it, feeling around for a way to untie the chain.

But it was too dark, and it had been too long. His leg was useless and his lungs were empty.

Sam heard a splash above him, and that was it.

WMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

That man was dead from the second he pushed that barbell into the pool. He knew it, Dean knew it, Sam probably knew it too but he was too busy being dragged across the floor to think about it.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Dean yelled as the man tried to get away. Sam was already in the pool- _Jesus that was fast_- but luckily he managed to grab a hold of the pool ladder, buying them some time.

"Dean! Dean I can't!" Sam called to him from where he clung at the edge of the pool.

Using hardly any brain power at all, Dean pointed his gun at the man and fired, not even waiting to see the body hit the ground.

"Sammy!" Dean looked over at where his brother had been a moment before, but he was no longer there, "Sammy hold on!"

_Come on Sammy come on I should have listened to you I should have stayed with you I shouldn't have taken your gun I'm sorry oh god come on Sammy come on._

Dean slid to the edge of the pool and saw his brother still there, just below the surface of the water, holding on for dear life, _thank God you're still here_.

"Sammy! Hang on!" Dean reached for his little brother under the water, but as soon as his hand entered the pool Sam's hand slipped. _No Sam come on don't let go SAM!_

Reach as he may Sam was out of reach and sinking fast.

"SAM!" Dean yelled. He stood up and ripped of his leather jacket, making sure he had his flashlight while kicking of his shoes and diving into the water. Without the light the bottom of the pool was utter darkness, but with it Dean could see his baby brother, unconscious and sinking by the bottom of the pool. Dean swam down to the weight and began to struggle with the knotted chain.

After quite the effort Dean finally succeeded in untying the chain. He hooked his arm under his baby brother's shoulder and started using his remaining three limbs to propel them towards the surface. His lungs were burning and every muscle in his body was screaming _breathe BREATHE_ but every cell in his brain was against it, shouting_ save him Dean, SAVE HIM._

Finally breaking the surface Dean's lungs filled themselves with much welcomed air, but this wasn't over yet. Sam was still lifeless in his arms, his lanky body still and his skin pale.

Dean wrangled him out of the water and pulled him onto the deck. He dragged him away from the pool and tried to brush the long wet hair out of his brother's eyes.

"Sam… come on Sammy. Stay with me… SAM!" Dean cried, "Sammy boy don't leave me now, please." He cradled his baby brother's head in his arms, Dean checked for breathing and pulse but found nothing.

_All your fault all your fault he's your brother you're supposed to save him what were you doing this is all your fault your fault what were you thinking Dean?_

"No. Not today. Not now. Not like this," Dean laid his brother flat and tilted back his head, preparing to start CPR. He took a deep breath and blew air into his brother's mouth, seeing his lungs rise and hating that they couldn't do that on their own.

Compressions. "Come on Sammy," more compressions, "Sammy, come on," another breath, "breathe Sammy I know you can do it," another round of compression, "Sammy COME ON!"

It had been a minute, and then more minutes and then more minutes; far too much time had passed, how many brain cells had probably died in that time, Dean didn't want to know. The odds were against him, but just one more round, one more; he had to keep trying.

"Sam, don't leave me," Dean spoke weakly in between sobs and compressions, "SAMMY!"

And then Sammy coughed. The sweetest sound Dean had ever heard in his whole life, because yes, coughing meant pain, but at the same time it meant his little brother was alive.

"Oh Sammy, thank god," Dean rolled Sam onto his side to make the coughing easier on his little brother. He held him close, keeping a hand on his shoulder and under his head, gently rubbing his thumbs back in forth across Sam's wet pale skin.

"That's right Sammy keep coughing, it's okay, it's all going to be okay." Soon enough Sam finished coughing and was inhaling with deep breaths, and Dean was picking the lock on the chain around his ankle. When he finally managed to get it off, the skin was red, cut up and enflamed; but that hardly concerned Dean, because from what he could tell Sam's entire thigh had been dislocated from his hip.

He crawled back over to Sam's head and helped him so that he was resting comfortably in his lap. Sam wasn't shivering, but Dean made sure his jacket kept his brother warm.

"Hey Sammy, how're you doing? I unchained you, so it's all alright now, okay? It's all gonna be alright, I got you." Sam's eyes fluttered open- they were bloodshot, but awake- and searched over Dean's face.

"Dea-," Sam tried to continue but was cut off with another coughing fit.

"Come on Sammy, it's alright, take your time," Dean started running his fingers through Sam's hair, seeming to have a calming effect on the young Winchester.

"I always," started Sam slowly, "hated the smell of chlorine."

"Smart ass," Dean mocked, smiling down at his younger brother, and was happy to see a smile equally as large looking back up at him, "Do you think you can walk a bit, little bro?" Dean wanted to get them as far away from this pool as they could.

Sam was almost breathing properly now, "Dean?"

"Yeah Sammy?"

"Do you think we could just," Sam paused and Dean could see the gears turning in his head as he thought about something, "just… rest here for a sec?"

_Oh Sammy I'm so sorry this is all my fault I should have listened to you_

Dean smiled and readjusted his little brother in his arms, "Course Sammy, just a sec though alright?"

Sam nodded, wiggled a little closer into his brothers arms and then closed his eyes, "Mm hm…" he mumbled, "just a sec."

_Of course Sammy rest as long as you need I'm so sorry just close your eyes and rest your head it's all gonna be okay I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere._

Dean began running his fingers through Sam's wet hair again.

Sam had every reason to be terrified, every reason to be upset, but he knew he was safe in his brother's arms.

Dean was humming Metalica's Nothing Else Matters, and Sam knew he was going to be okay.

FIN.

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**Reviews are love! Thanks for reading : )**


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